Nolan Carroll was not expected to make the team much less start..Two rookies were brought in for depth. The team kept Pattersons pay check so you had to know he was going to start next to Grimes..But Carroll played well in camp beat out Will Davis and his pay check while the rookies haven't taken off their diapers yet.

This is what you call building a team through the draft...Guys sit back maybe not play so well for a couple years but you stick with them and let them develope. And changing GM's and coaches can kill the flow

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He knows offensive coordinators plan to match up their best receiver against him each game.

In the season opener, Carroll was lining up against speedy former Hurricanes standout Travis Benjamin. Week 2 it was perennial Pro Bowler Reggie Wayne. Last week, it was Julio Jones, one of the NFL's budding superstars

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Opposing quarterbacks have a 68.7 passer rating against the Dolphins, which is fifth best in the league. And Carroll's 21 targets leads the Dolphins. Only 14 cornerbacks have been thrown at more.

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Keep in mind Carroll views himself as a young cornerback. While he played in 38 games with the Maryland Terrapins, most of them were as a special teams contributor. He was recruited to Maryland as a receiver, moved to cornerback his sophomore season and only started six games as a cornerback in college.

Very cool. & a pleasant surprise so far. Lets hope he keeps improving cuz Colston can be tough, Meachem is good in this offense, & Still is a bomber

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"Me just playing cornerback for the little amount of time I have, I've learned a lot the past three years. Every year has been a learning experience as far as situations, how to prepare for a game, who I'm going against. How to keep my body right every week," Carroll said. "Every year there has been something new."

This week I was thinking about the Contributions on offense. Clay, Gibson, & Sims covering the loss of Keller. We might not of won a couple of those games without their significant playing. & even Matthews last Sunday.

When's the last time another teams defense had to figure who they were going to guard & how to cover them all? This offense makes weapons of skill & I think the arsenal will grow with Tanne

This week I was thinking about the Contributions on offense. Clay, Gibson, & Sims covering the loss of Keller. We might not of won a couple of those games without their significant playing. & even Matthews last Sunday.

When's the last time another teams defense had to figure who they were going to guard & how to cover them all? This offense makes weapons of skill & I think the arsenal will grow with Tanne

Wait ..... Carrol is contributing? How loose are we going with that definition?

Depends who you ask:

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Outside corners Brent Grimes and Nolan Carroll rank 11th and 12th, respectively, in NFL rating against, while Jimmy Wilson ranks second among slot corners. Free safety Chris Clemons has allowed just one reception in 144 coverage snaps. Most impressively, none of the four have surrendered a touchdown through three games

Wait ..... Carrol is contributing? How loose are we going with that definition?

Depends who you ask:

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Outside corners Brent Grimes and Nolan Carroll rank 11th and 12th, respectively, in NFL rating against, while Jimmy Wilson ranks second among slot corners. Free safety Chris Clemons has allowed just one reception in 144 coverage snaps. Most impressively, none of the four have surrendered a touchdown through three games

Wait ..... Carrol is contributing? How loose are we going with that definition?

Aside from getting the first interception of the season that prevented a Browns touchdown and being part of a defense that shuts teams down in the 2nd half while often covering the other team's best wideout (Julio Jones, Reggie Wayne)?

Aside from getting the first interception of the season that prevented a Browns touchdown and being part of a defense that shuts teams down in the 2nd half while often covering the other team's best wideout (Julio Jones, Reggie Wayne)?

I guess nothing...

Julio had 9 catches for 115 .... and that was with his running mate playing at half mast.

Aside from getting the first interception of the season that prevented a Browns touchdown and being part of a defense that shuts teams down in the 2nd half while often covering the other team's best wideout (Julio Jones, Reggie Wayne)?

I guess nothing...

Julio had 9 catches for 115 .... and that was with his running mate playing at half mast.

In the season opener, Carroll was lining up against speedy former Hurricanes standout Travis Benjamin. Week 2 it was perennial Pro Bowler Reggie Wayne. Last week, it was Julio Jones, one of the NFL's budding superstars

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Opposing quarterbacks have a 68.7 passer rating against the Dolphins, which is fifth best in the league. And Carroll's 21 targets leads the Dolphins. Only 14 cornerbacks have been thrown at more.

Carroll allowed just two completions from the five passes thrown his way Monday. Compare that with the 30-for-39 efficiency Brees had against the defense as a whole.

Better yet, Carroll's performance isn't an anomaly.

According to Pro Football Focus, opposing quarterbacks have a 69.6 passer rating when throwing at Carroll, placing him among the league's top 20 cover men and just a few points behind Grimes. The 50 percent completion rate is one of the better marks in the league as well.

Not bad for a player drafted 145th overall.

And although Carroll has certainly beaten the odds with such success as a late-round pick, he has blossomed into the player he is because of a back-against-the-wall attitude - a mind-set he is intent on keeping amid a contract year.

"Every year is against the grain - you're always against the odds," Carroll said. "Most guys feel after the first year or second year that they're established and they can just relax. A lot of guys aren't in this league anymore because they're comfortable, and I'm never comfortable. I've never felt like I've arrived or I'm established."

Carroll's struggle is familiar to Grimes, who went from being undrafted in 2006 to a stint in NFL Europe to the 2010 Pro Bowl.

"Being a fifth-round pick, he's had to work all this time," Grimes said of Carroll. "He's got to keep that same attitude even now, even with him getting a lot of reps and getting some respect and with people realizing he can play. He's got to keep the same attitude, just keep that edge."

Carroll has been steady since he entered the NFL - allowing a 78.1 passer rating on 110 attempts entering this year - but he's still improving.